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Officer Joe

By Ryan Darragh Joseph Hegenderfer, “Officer Joe” to us Denisonians, is one of Denison’s most beloved staff members. As a soon-to-be graduate, I can confidently say that he has shaped my Denison experience for the better. Officer Joe has touched the hearts of countless students on this campus. Midday he is found driving loops around…

The War on Campus

By Paul A. Djupe, Data for Political Research There’s a teach-in about Palestine tomorrow in Knobel Hall at 5pm that you may be interested in. When I saw this, I realized that we had some new data about how students were feeling toward thost most invested in these questions and the current conflict. I’m taking…

You Should Get Involved: Here’s the Emotional Payoff

By Harrison Hamm This time of year, as classwork picks up and the end of the semester looms, attendance at extracurriculars seems to decline. I say this anecdotally — not backed by data — but it makes sense. Other priorities start to take precedence, from classwork to socializing to simply relaxing after a long day….

AI Use is Growing

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research We’ve had access to large-language model AI chatbots for just over a year now. We’re in our second semester of asking about it. Last fall, when we knew nothing, everything was enlightening. At this stage, it’s important to assess how quickly attitudes and adoption are…

Young Adults are Shifting Away From Drinking – How about Denison?

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research New reports are consistent and clear – younger American adults are not drinking as frequently or as much as they used to. According to Gallup polling, young adults are keeping up with their grandparents in reduced drinking levels. Two decades ago 72 percent of young…

AI Use on Campus

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research Last year AI felt like it would hit academia like the Chicxulub impactor – the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs. To the Eeyores among us, ChatGPT spelled the end of the college essay, perhaps the end of academia itself. If students can generate viable…

Religion on Campus: A Minority Are Religious And With a Foot Out the Door

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research In 2023, for the first time in its history, the majority of Denison students (54-55 percent) identified as some sort of religious none. With “nothing in particular” leading the way, the next biggest religious group didn’t come close in our spring survey (Protestants at 15…

How Do Student Views on Foreign Policy Compare to Professors?

Miles D. Williams, Visiting Assistant Professor of Data for Political Research Between climate change, US-China relations, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the current Israel-Hamas war, there are so many weighty issues in global politics for Denison students to think about right now. They have plenty of opportunities to do so as well, whether that be…

The D Key

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of the Data for Political Research Minor Congratulations, you’ve been accepted to attend Denison University! Here are some stickers. What do you do with them? Are you a sticker person whose laptop case color cannot be discerned? Are you proud to be accepted into this liberal arts college? Are others…

Are Republicans Resurging?

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research The Trump years were not particularly effective for recruiting young Republicans, especially on college campuses. While there are colleges and universities that explicitly bill themselves as conservative havens, most others are just following the winds and accepting whatever the market provides. And that’s liberal Democrats….

Commitment to Wokeness on Campus

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research It has been hard to avoid hearing the term “woke” if you’ve been paying any attention to presidential politics of the last year. And it’s not being used in a flattering light. In an attempt to build the same enthusiasm from Trump voters, Republican hopefuls…

This is One of the Few Things That Overcomes Partisan Polarization

By Paul A. Djupe, Director of Data for Political Research Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on much these days. In many ways that’s fine, parties are supposed to be different in order to offer a real, distinct choice to voters. So, it’s always surprising to find common ground. Ohio has an election coming up and…